Month: November 2013

Grey thought he’d put Australia on the map with its epic travel quest across Oz, and especially Brisbane, which is of course the scene of the epic concluding battle with Bri’s bane. Brisbane’s Gabba (we would have preferred it to be called baGGa!) is also the venue for the first Ashes cricket test on Thursday.

However, this week England’s star player Kevin Pietersen responded to some Aussie pommie-bashing calling him arrogant by tweeting that nobody outside Australia has heard of Brisbane.

Kevin Peitersen Versus Brisbane

Hi, it’s Martin ‘Werewolfie’ Adams with a sports round-up ahead of the first Ashes cricket test in Australia.

One theory in the Greenygrey world is that Kevin Pietersen; also known as KP, as the Greenygrey is known as GG; has read Werewolf of Oz: Fantasy Travel by Google Maps, and is re-enacting the blockbusting Battle of Bri’s bane with himself as the hero.

However, the opposing theory counters that if KP has read WoO he’d think that everybody has now heard of Brisbane, and knows it’s on the Australian east coast.

We’re taking another step towards Brisbane here with another episode of the Werewolf of Oz. However, it’s only a literary step rather than geographical, as the travel quest quartet are still in the middle of the Boomerang Beach trilogy. The body, mind and spirit are getting it together though, and there’s hope for a return to the dust sandy path by the end.

Chapter 124. Spirit Lifts, Mind Plans, Body Gives Hope

I was getting sick of the sight of Boomerang Beach and Green Point by the twenty-ninth return journey, and told Cathy I was losing hope.

She said, ‘That’s not the spirit!’

Tada! (Photo credit: candiceecidnac)

That was the lift I needed; mentally I might add, as I certainly didn’t need more physical lifting!

Spirit to Mind

After Cathy raised my spirits, I wondered if Angry might have a solution to our situation, as he’d been using his mind well recently. So I asked him if he could think of any way out of our repetitive return rebounding.

He thought for a few minutes, before suggesting we’d been playing into the phantom boomerang’s hands; or wings to be more precise.

Angry explained his rationale through the whistling wind: it was because the four of us had been keeping to a straight two-two formation, and this kept the boomerang on its preferred trajectory.

Dogs are commonly known as man’s best friend in the U.K. and new research last week provided a paradigm shift in our understanding of the relationship between humanity and dogs… with relevance for wolves and the Greenygrey.

As reported in media across the world last week, including the Mirror, new DNA evidence extends the human-dog relationship back to 19,000 – 30,000 years ago; perhaps doubling the age of the relationship from the previous paradigm of 12,000 – 15,000 years.

The DNA analysis linked today’s dogs to modern wolves and wolves in the European Ice Age 19,000 – 30,000 years ago.

Australian Dog Head (Photo credit: epSos.de)

That means some wolves and humans became friends and partners long before the agricultural age started 12,000 years ago.

As the Greenygrey is a werewolf, that means that its ancestry might also be doubled in line with the human – wolf/dog relationship.

That could mean a lot more work for me! It’s ironic that a new discovery gives me twice the amount of time to travel in my search for the origins of the Greenygrey!!

For wolves, I think it should be an argument for special status for humanity’s oldest and most common friend; who in its original form and dog form has been sharing our caves, tents, huts and houses through about 5-10 times as much prehistoric time as historic.

Special Status for Animals

Dakota, a grey wolf at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust, howling on top of a snowy hill. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While it has been pretty plain sailing since Dolphin Bay, this episode sees trouble torpedo the travel quackers quartet’s quest… in the shape of that most Australian of flying weapons: a boomerang.

Yes folks, as an hour-long episode of the most iconic of British soap-operas starts, it’s the start of the Werewolf of Oz Boomerang Beach trilogy, with Coronation Street making a guest appearance.

Hold on to your cork hats, and prepare for lift-off:

123. Corrie Soap before Boomerang Dashes Green Hope

Being in the sea didn’t mean we missed out on seeing land animals. Why, while passing Wommara Avenue we saw a wombat hitch-hiking to the Masai Mara; and on Kalaroo Road we saw a kangaroo either side of LA.

Feeling refreshed, we ate up the nautical miles at a good rate of knots in the afternoon, and a few hours later reached Boomerang Beach.

That’s when the day started going downhill; or to be more accurate, around and around.

Because once we stepped onto the beach we were thrown up into the air, and spun around at great speed over Elizabeth Beach and The Lakes Way.

I thought, at least we’re heading north, maybe it’s a stroke of good fortune. I saw Green Point ahead, and hoped it might be a sign: maybe we’ll land on a nice patch of green when we reach it.

Boomerang Beach (Photo credit: candiceecidnac)

However, I hadn’t taken the Boomerang part of the beach’s name into consideration. The next moment, the return movement seemed to kick in over the Booti Booti National Park, and we just about reached Green Point before being spun south again.

We gathered pace on the southerly downhill, and before we had time to draw our breaths, we were descending to Boomerang Beach. I hoped the nightmare might end when we returned to the beach, but as soon as we neared the ground we were thrown back into the air for another circuit!

Meanwhile, over on Channel Four‘s Alan Carr Chatty Man chat show, Russell Brand will be trying to shake up the system his way.

The Greenygrey of Ghost, Agnetha and Brand

Attack of the 50 Foot Fez (Photo credit: Usonian)

Hi, it’s Grey Greyvara, social conscience at the Greenygrey. It’s a coincidence that Agnetha is making her first live appearance for 25 years in the year Marc Latham is celebrating his 25 years of travelling… and passed from the Kerouacian age to the Agnethan.

Russell Brand is also a child of Kerouac, as he showed in a documentary he did retracing the On The Road journey, now with parts available on YouTube.

Of the people mentioned in the introductory paragraph, Ghost and Russell Brand might be seen as in one corner, and Agnetha Faltskog in another.

While the obvious reason for that is that Ghost and Russell Brand are men, and Agnetha is a woman, the real reason for supposing their differences are that Agnetha is generally seen as a safe quiet mainstream artist, while the others are troublesome loud counter-culture artists.

Cover of Agnetha Fältskog

Abba did have some controversial lyrics questioning institutional religion, as discussed by Bjorn recently, but they were missed at the time because Abba were generally seen as nice, safe and squeaky clean members of the ‘good community’.

The ‘good community’ that has historically and recently put institutions, religions and the powerful before children in real need.

At around the same time as Ian Dury and the Blockheads were singing Reasons to be Cheerful I was cynical of Bob Geldof at the time of Live Aid, and hated Princess Diana‘s posturing in front of the camera. I now think they were generally doing good.

While Agnetha Faltskog and Gary Barlow do have a record out, I don’t think they need the money, so I think their Children in Need duet is generally a genuine charity performance; especially as Agnetha doesn’t like performing live.

While Ghost and Russell Brand might be seen as ‘being true and genuine’ by their young fans, because they are being so one-dimensionally critical of ‘the system’, they are also trying to sell products and make money in an artistic and media world where you have to shout to be heard.

As Marc Latham is trying to sell products at the Greenygrey.

Only Ideological Extremists Heard in Modern Media

The shout-to-be-heard age is epitomised in the media-political world by Jeremy Clarkson on the right and George Galloway on the left.

At the Greenygrey we believe in taking both sides of an argument or social position into consideration… like politicians!… which is why we probably aren’t being as noticed as much as the Clarksons, Galloways and Brands… or popular with one half of people, and unpopular with the other half… but if only one half buy your products you’re doing well..! and if you’re not ‘telling one half of people what they want to hear’ you probably won’t be heard, or sell much product..!!

P.S. Russell Brand is shouting a simplistic hegemonic theory at the political elite; the same theoretical framework used by Dr. Marc Latham to criticise the British elite system in his 2000-2005 PhD thesis.

P.P.S. I have consciously only included Agnetha images for comedic effect… although I think they do look nicer than the images of the other people featured in the blog.

P.P.P.S. That doesn’t mean I like the look of all women, or even all blonde women. Myra Hindley and Margaret Thatcher were ‘blondes’!

Alice in Chains, Ghost and Walking Papers were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll haGG of Fame this week; inspired by the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in the human world; becoming the gig of the year in the Greenygrey world. They join an exalted list of great heavy rock and metal bands since the award’s inception in 2009. Here’s how the list looks now:

Hi, it’s Baron Wolfman, head honcho at Greenygrey Creation in the absence of the legendary Andy Wolfhol. Here’s some photos from the Alice in Chains tour at the Leeds O2 Academy. The first is of Walking Papers, with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses fame on the bass.

The second is of Ghost, which were undoubtedly the most greenygrey of the night. Their charismatic vocalist, Papa Emeritus, sported a surreal greenygrey cape, and the lighting was greenygreyish too. Moreover, their Grucifix logo begins with a capital G! Their tongue-in-cheek conceptual image reminds me of the Greenygrey too!!

The bottom two are of Alice in Chains. They produced a great musical performance, mixing great musicianship with fantastic songs; playing a set focused on their classic tunes, with a few new ones.

The Alice in Chains U.K. tour continues in Glasgow tonight, and ends in Newport on Saturday. The Newport one is sold out.

It’s Wednesday,
which is about as midweek as you can get,
on this half of the planet.
It is too
in the land of the kangaroo,
so without further ado
here’s the first episode of the week
of WoO for you.

Chapter 122. Sirens Sound Sweet to Me, but not Cathy

We awoke on the sand
between sea and land
of the rising sun
I have much to learn.

We ate the leftovers from the previous night before setting off. They helped us make good progress, despite a swirling wind picking up off Mona Vale port, sounding like Vale Park when the Valiants are losing.

The going got tough parallel to Tuggerah Lake, as the current tugged us toward the coast as if trying to tie us together. I was beginning to weaken when Elle took up most of the strain, which I thought was an impressive use of her body.

Deutsch: Norah Head, NSW (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’d just recovered from that when I heard some beautiful music lilting over to us from Norah Head. The songs seemed to be saying sweet nothings like: ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Thinking About You’, ‘Come Away With Me’ and ‘Until The End’.

I started swimming toward Norah Head, and Elle followed my lead.

The next thing I remember, Cathy was putting ear-plugs in my ears, and then doing the same to Elle.

Sacramento Sirens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We stopped swimming and looked up.

I saw we were seconds away from crashing into the rocks. I asked Cathy what had drawn us toward the Norah Head coast, and she replied Siren.

It was a narrow escape for us, and I was extremely grateful that Cathy had been on the same spirit level.

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Notes

The Valiants playing at Vale Park are Port Vale, an English football league team.
Norah Jones and songs: Love Me Tender, Thinking About You, Come Away With Me and Until The End.
The Sirens’ songs summoned sailors onto rocks in Greek mythology.